Genre: Non-fiction/Autobiography/Memoir
Page Count: 250+
Published: 2020 (Gallery Books)
Potential Triggers: Cursing, Mentions Drinking, Mentions Sex & Birth Control, Briefest Mention of Porn, Medications/Pills, Mentions Suicide, Divorce,
Mental Health Topics: Generalized Anxiety, Depression, Bipolar II Disorder, ADD (ADHD-Inattentive),
I'm not the kind of person who always likes biographies or autobiographies. I don't like hearing all the dry details about a person's life. "I graduated from so-and-so in this year with this degree."
This book was the first autobiography that I've liked as much as I have, and honestly, that shocked me. I was so ready to just read it and focus on what I thought about the mental health aspect of this book, but there was so much more to it than that.
The Upside of Being Down is Jen Gotch's story of her life, and she certainly made it sound like a story. It's got ups, it's got major downs, but it's got life to it. It's not dry; it reads like a story. You can envision the things that are happening. It's not an empty story.
There are things that people with different mental health conditions struggle to explain, but she explained Bipolar II and Generalized Anxiety really well. And as she went through her life, you could see real life examples of how she lived—and thrived—with it.
This book goes over many things that Jen had to deal with and in the end, it all leads back to her and gives you a glimpse of the bright person she is.
Her relationships aren't perfect. She tells of times where she fell apart and times where she managed to hold it together. She named her role models and listed some of the lessons they taught her. She talks about her therapy and her struggle with finding the right treatment for her. She humorously explained all the different side effects different meds brought upon her.
But above all, it shows the struggles and the successes of her trying to 'make it' as an adult living with a chronic mental health issues. She captured the craziness of it all but also the freedom in it all.
This autobiography is raw, real, and it's meant to share experiences. The good is there, some bad is there too, but most of all, there's a journey that she invites you to join her on and follow her through.
Jen Gotch is a mental health advocate and a fellow mental health warrior. She's also a hardcore optimist and unafraid to say so.
The Upside of Being Down is an incredibly recollection of her story—of everything she's gone through and accomplished despite so many challenges. I had fun reading this book; I laughed as I read it, but I also related to so much of it.
She took life and made it into a meaningful story that one could read as though it was fiction. The 'plot' to it flows together so much better than many other biographical works and that greatly impressed me. I am so happy with this book and would totally read it again, especially when I'm a bit older and have a different perspective on life.
She did a great work when she put all this together. I can't imagine how hard it was, but it turned out incredible.